Than Life Itself
by Navya
Summary: This is first real fanfiction I ever wrote. It's an Itachi story, it has romance, but also has action, adventure, mystery, comedy, and tragedy. A good mix, eh? Rate so I know how it's going and give me ideas, because I really haven't quite finished it...
1. Prologue

At about one month of age, you found yourself in a basket with only two necklaces in your posession on the Uchiha's doorstep. They took you in and treated you as their own daughter. Sasuke had just been born, so you had someone around your own age to be with. (You were only; well, exactly three weeks older than him. Oh, just so you know, your birthday is on the 30th of June.) But you actually got along with Itachi more than you did with Sasuke. I mean, Sasuke and you were friends, but Itachi and you were inseparable. For six years you were happy, contented with life as it was, but then… Well, let's start on 5th July, just five days after your sixth birthday

"Itachi! Come on! I want to show you something!" You called into his bedroom, attempting to wake him up.

"But Anita, I'm tired. Its three o' clock in the morning! Why do I have to get up anyway?"

"Because I told you to! Just come on! It looks better in the dark anyway. Maybe you can help me with it."

Itachi grudgingly got up and dressed. You grabbed a torch (also known as a flashlight) and pulled him outside. You led him to the training field and put your hair up in a black silk ribbon into a ponytail. You let the ribbon drape over your shoulders and hang down.

"I've never shown this to anyone before now. You should move." You fingered your necklace nervously before starting.

Itachi sidestepped out of the way as you did several hand signs. You hair glowed bright blue as chakra flowed through it. Your ponytail flared up until it looked like a blue mass of flames. Your body became engulfed in a fiery cloud of blue as the chakra flowed through you.

Itachi stared at you, awe shining in his black eyes. "Whoa…Anita…that's awesome! How did you get so much chakra?"

"I don't really know. I don't feel in the least drained. I'm afraid to show anyone else, I don't know what they'd do."

Itachi shook his head in amazement. He walked over to you and touched your hand lightly, "And how do you know what I'll say?"

"Well, you're my best friend and you know me better than anyone, so I knew you wouldn't freak out too much."

Itachi smiled. A genuine smile. That was pretty rare from someone like Itachi.

You both went back to the Uchiha residence to sleep. That night, and all of the nights after that until you turned seven, your dreams were racked by thoughts of adventure, seeing the world outside of Konoha. And on 5th July of the next year, your dreams were to come true…

That fateful July day you were extremely restless, to say the least. You wanted to see the other four countries; Hell, you just wanted to get out of Konoha! All day you were quiet, even Itachi couldn't coax you out of your silence. It was plain that he was getting worried. That night, you packed our belongings and wrote out a note. You sealed the note and a gold necklace with a diamond heart pendant (I actually have this necklace), identical to your own in a plain white envelope. You sighed and gathered your stuff. You then left with your belongings and a heavy heart…but without a backwards glance.

Anita! Wake up! I promised that I'd help you with training! Come on!

He pushed the door open slightly. It creaked slightly, revealing your empty bed and almost bare room.

Anita? Are you here? Anita? Seri—"

He cut off his futile calling when he saw the envelope on your pillow. He rushed over to your bed and picked it up, preparing himself for the worst. He read it out loud, his voice a hoarse whisper.

'_Itachi,_

_I am so sorry. I assume you are reading this, for I was supposed to be up early to train with you. I have gone north, heading for Suna. I want to explore the world and try to find out what happened to my parents. Do not look for me; I won't be in Suna for long. I don't know if and when I'll come back to Konoha. _

_The necklace enclosed is for you. Wear it always. I wear its twin. There are only two like it left in the world. They contain some power that I am yet to discover. They were in the basket that I was found in seven years ago. If we ever see each other again, we'll know each other by the necklaces._

_Goodbye._

_Anita'_

Your tears smudged the words and Itachi's made them near impossible to decipher. He took out the necklace gingerly and held it to his lips before putting it on. After that morning, he became more reclusive and mysterious. He eventually couldn't take it and took it out on his clan, murdering all but Sasuke. Not to see what he was capable of, like he told dear Sasuke, but out of grief.

You, on the other hand, were having the time of your life exploring the northern parts of the Land of Fire, seeing local towns and reaching the edge of the forest where it met the desert. You traveled the desert for a few days before reaching the walls of Sunagakure—the Village Hidden in the Sand. You entered without any guard interference or anything. I mean, seriously, you're a seven year old girl; you aren't really much of a nuclear threat, now are you?

Suna was amazing. It was a work of art. The buildings were so beautifully crafted and spaced. It was...well, amazing. But you knew that you couldn't stay forever. Before you went back to Konoha, you wanted to see ALL of the countries, so after staying in Suna for awhile, you set out again, heading west.

You traveled through all of the countries, made and left friends for five years. And then, at the age of 12, you returned to Konoha. To your home.


	2. Home Again

Konoha. Home. That's where you were. All of the familiar sights were coming back to you: the training field, the Academy, Hokage Mountain, The Ramen Shop…everything. While sitting on the swing outside of the Academy, you saw it dismiss classes, your old friends and acquaintances streaming out. They all seemed not to notice you…except one. Iruka-sensei. He came to you and scrutinized you carefully, memories flooding back to him.

"Anita? Is that really you? When you disappeared, we didn't know what to think! Where have you been?"

A smile played on your lips as you nonchalantly replied, "Oh, you know, just been wandering around all five countries, seeing the sights. But now I'm back, and I want to go back to the Academy and become a fully-fledged ninja."

"Wait a minute…ALL five countries?!" Iruka asked incredulously. You nodded, so he added, "Our current graduating class is your age, and you've been practically everywhere, so I'm sure that you'd fit right in and do quite well."

You grinned and asked what had been on your mind ever since you had seen the gates of Konoha, "Um…Iruka-sensei? Where's Itachi these days?"

Iruka swallowed nervously. "Hmm…I knew that would come up. Er…you'd better talk to Sasuke about that tomorrow after or during class. I'll help you find a house or apartment, but why don't you stay with Kiba for now? I'm sure they'd love to have you. Kiba's missed you a lot."

You nodded and walked off towards Kiba's home, quietly pondering Iruka-sensei's words about Itachi. When you reached the Inuzuka's home, you stared at the door for a long time before actually knocking. Kiba's sister Hana opened the door and cocked her head to the side slightly, trying to remember who you were. Kiba came up behind her and his eyes widened. He pushed her out of the way and hugged you tightly.

"Anita! You're finally back!" He released you and held you by your hips at arms length, "It's been five years! Where've you been?"

"Well, I went around five countries, and now I'm back! Iruka-sensei says that I can live here—if that's all right with you. AND I'm joining the Academy again. I'll be in your class even though I've been gone so long."

"Anita, that's great! Of course you can stay with me! Come on in!"

You went in and Kiba led you up to his bedroom. You looked around and gasped as Akamaru jumped on you from Kiba's bed. Kiba laughed happily.

"I guess he's happy to see you again! Um…we don't have any guest rooms or anything, so um…you'll have to sleep up here with me. If you don't mind of course…"

"Oh, I'd love to! It'll be fun. Uh…Kiba, Iruka told me to ask Sasuke tomorrow at school, but maybe you could tell me. Where's Itachi?"

Kiba shook his head. "Sorry. One, truthfully, I really don't know WHERE he is. But on what happened…you should talk to Sasuke about that."

You looked at him quizzically, but dropped the subject despite your raging curiosity. He took you to the ramen shop for dinner and then you walked back home together. You showered quickly and changed into a pair of shorts and an undershirt of Kiba's. It was cold—that was strange considering that it was the beginning of May—so you snuggled close to Kiba's warm body and drifted off to sleep.

In the morning you put on some of Hana's old clothes and sleepily trudged of to school alongside Kiba. Everyone was excited to see you again, but Sasuke just kind of hung back and sulked gloomily. During class you were totally and completely bored, to say the least. Since you had been traveling for five years, you had already picked this stuff up; therefore, you already knew it…all of it. But, you tolerated it with the thought of the fact that at the end of the month you would be a Genin. After quote-unquote "learning" about transformation jutsus, you were finally dismissed. You caught up with Sasuke, who still looked quite gloomy (surprise, surprise).

"Er…Sasuke? Where is Itachi? I've asked around, but no one will tell me."

Sasuke looked at you pityingly, but his face darkened slightly when he spoke. "You don't know then? After you left, he murdered every Uchiha—except me. He was exiled and I don't know where he is. All I know is that I'm going to kill him!"

You closed your eyes and shook your head, refusing to believe what you had just heard. "No, that's not true. He…he didn't. You must be lying!"

Sasuke sighed sadly. "No, unfortunately I'm not. Look around. Do you see any Uchihas running around? No. 'Cause they're all dead. And it's all because of him." Sasuke said bitterly.

"Oh." You replied softly, grief flooding through you. A lone tear found its way down your cheek as you realized that Sasuke spoke the truth. But you still loved Itachi, after all those years, after what he had done, you somehow still felt a strong connection to him.

You left Sasuke and set off towards the Archives. There just HAD to be something, even the tiniest bit of information; some hint; some clue; to where Itachi was. All that month, only taking breaks to go home to sleep or eat, and to go to school, you studied in the Archives. As a result of your hard work, you found out two bits of significant information:

First, you were not from Konoha. You weren't even from the Land of Fire. You only knew this by the fact that there were no records of your birth, only of your arrival as a baby and your departure as a child.

Second, you found little bits and pieces of information about a criminal organization called the Akatsuki. It wasn't much, but from those scraps of information, you could tell, with no doubt in your mind, that Itachi had joined the Akatsuki. You found the tiniest details in those scraps, and you were determined to use those as a way to remember and pay respect to the memory of your childhood friend.

You went back home, satisfied with your results, and as soon as you opened the door; Akamaru jumped onto you and licked your face joyfully. Kiba strode over to you and embraced you. He led you to his room and sat you down on the edge of his bed.

"Close your eyes."

You did as you were bid to do and felt a piece of cloth touch your hand. Your eyes snapped open and you felt yourself gripping a Konoha forehead protector. Your brow furrowed in confusion and you looked to Kiba for answers.

"We got our headbands today. But you were in such a hurry to get to the archives again that Iruka didn't have a chance to give you yours. You're officially a Genin Anita!"

"Really?! Whose team am I on?!"

"Iruka will tell us tomorrow. I hope you're on my team Anita," He said with a blush.

You blushed too and hugged Kiba, but releasing him quickly, remembering what you had come home early for.

"Does your sister have any purple nail polish? Er…it's kind of important."

"Yeah, I think so. I'll go check."

He left the room, leaving you toying with your new headband and thinking of Itachi and this mysterious Akatsuki. He soon returned with a small bottle of purple nail polish. He tossed it to you and grimaced at the potent scent of acetone emanating from the purple liquid.

"Uggh. I can't stand that smell. I'll leave you alone to polish your nails or whatever. I probably wouldn't be much help anyway."

He left again and you started to carefully run the brush against each nail, even your toenails. Thinking of your longing feelings for Itachi, you absently started to sing the song "A Thousand Miles" by Vanessa Carlton. Kiba obviously heard you and burst in the room right when you were on the second coat of your last nail (your left pinky nail if you were wondering…not that it makes a difference, but still…).

"Was that you singing Anita? You have an awesome voice. You know, two days before my birthday, (7 July is Kiba's birthday if you haven't done your Kiba research), Karma, you know, that new club, is having its grand opening. They're inviting singers from all over Konoha and neighbouring towns to come and compete. I was thinking of entering, but I don't like singing solo. Would you like to be my partner?"

"Oh! Of course! I'd really love that, you know, after being holed up in the Archives for so long. Why didn't I hear of this earlier?"

"Well, because you HAVE been holed up in the Archives for so long. What were you researching anyway?"

"Er… I was just…uh…gathering information about my past."

"Oh. What'd you find out?"

"Well, I'm not from here. The Land of Fire is not my biological home. And also…never mind, let's go to sleep. I'm tired."

Kiba nodded. You two changed into your night clothes and slept.

You woke early the next morning to shower before 'rush hour' came to the Inuzuka home. After showering, you went out to the wraparound porch to watch the sunrise. You could've sworn you saw two figures, one freakishly tall and carrying a huge sword, and the other normal height, walk by. You watched closely and saw the normal-sized one turn to face you. Kiba came out to greet you and when you looked back to where the figures had walked, they were gone, no trace of them, it was as if they'd never been there.

But there was something about the normal-sized one that called to you, that somehow connected the two of you, but you shook it from your thoughts.

"Come on Anita! Hurry up! We need to be at the Academy early to hear our teams!"

You followed Kiba to the Academy, the memory of the two figures still a ghost in your mind


	3. Encounter

"Team 7 consists of: Naruto Uzumaki, Sasuke Uchiha, and Anita Shanker

"Team 7 consists of: Naruto Uzumaki, Sasuke Uchiha, and Anita Shanker. Your new sensei will be Kakashi Hatake."

Sasuke glanced at you almost approvingly. He had been a bit evasive and cold towards you…probably because you had been friends with the one who murdered his entire family. Naruto glared at Sasuke maliciously and Sakura sighed resignedly. She was on Ino and Shikamaru's team—not her beloved Sasuke's. Kiba was on Hinata and Shino's team and—much to his disappointed—not yours.

Nothing eventful happened for the rest of the week. But of course then came the Land of the Waves mission, but that was the only even remotely exciting thing, until, on your birthday, the 30th of June, Kakashi announced that he had entered the three of you in the Chuunin exams. The registration was to be on July 8th, the day after Kiba's birthday.

The days went by; your rehearsals with Kiba became more frequent and routine until the big day. (In case you weren't paying attention that means July 5th.)

"Oh no! What'll I wear?! Uggh…all of my clothes are…are…obsolete!"

"Um…well…I could take you…er…shopping…Anita…I mean…if you want to of course…" Hinata stammered.

You nodded and Hinata and you set off on your perilous expedition to the mall. You bought a red tunic shirt with a black rose embroidered up it and a pair of black capris. When you got home, you dressed and Hinata helped you with your hair and make-up. After all of that was done, you slipped on some black flip-flops and went out of your (and Kiba's) room to model for Kiba. Kiba looked at you and awe and Hinata just looked down at the floor, silently awaiting being totally and completely ignored.

"Wow, Anita! You look…fabulous! You look beautiful! I mean…not that you don't always…but…" Kiba trailed off and blushed brightly.

You grinned. "Well, I wouldn't look so good if it weren't for Hinata over here! She was loads of help!"

Kiba glanced at Hinata warmly and smiled. Hinata looked at you gratefully and blushed.

After she left, Kiba grabbed your hand and dragged you to the entrance of Karma. Once backstage, Kiba sat you down on a bench and stared deep into your eyes.

"Anita, I…I think that I'm falling in love with you. Er…would you…um…go out with me? You know…be my girl…?"

You looked up at him and smiled, "Maybe. I'll have to think about it. Give me some time, okay?"

Kiba grinned and nodded, hugging you briefly. He then left to go to his dressing room.

You felt your necklace's pendant grow warm and felt a weird tug on your body. You stiffened instinctively, but soon relaxed and let the necklace guide you. It brought you to a small window. You looked through the glass into the darkness. There were two figures standing in the alley, one freakishly tall, and the other normal-sized, apparently conversing. You felt that same connection, that same bond, to the normal-sized figure as before. Were these the same people…? The normal-sized figure looked straight at you, and you were paralyzed. You couldn't seem to gather the strength to turn away or move away from the window as the figure continued to stare at you.

You felt a hand on your shoulder and quickly turned around, suddenly awakened from your reverie. It was Kiba. You chanced a glance back at the window. The figures were gone. They had simply disappeared; just like before.

"What are you doing here Anita? We're on in two minutes!"

You shrugged and followed him to the left wing of the stage. Kiba left you there and sprinted off to the right wing. You stood quietly, waiting intently for the intro to your song to come on. You soon heard it and did exactly as you had rehearsed.

The song was "Everything Burns" by Anastacia feat. Ben Moody. The music seemed to carry you and your voice vibrated around the club beautifully. The song ended and the audience burst into wild screams and applause. They loved you!! (And Kiba…but this story isn't about him, now is it?)

The emcee came out onto the stage and announced that each competitor would have to surrender themselves to Q&A from the audience.

In the back of the club sat the two figures from before. You of course didn't know this, but they were there. The connected feeling from before had not gone away, but you simply assumed that it was just leftover from the last time. It wasn't.

Some kid got to ask the first question. The emcee handed him the microphone and the kid asked his question in his not yet deepened voice.

"Um…this is for Anita," At the sound of your name the normal-sized figure was automatically tuned into the Q&A discussion, "Why do you always wear red and black? And also…why do you always wear purple or some other dark coloured nail-polish? Every time I see you, that's what you're wearing."

The emcee took the microphone back and looked at you, cuing you to answer.

"Well, I don't ALWAYS wear it, but I try to. See, several years ago, today, I left my home…and my best friend." The normal-sized figure turned around to face you. "When I returned, he was gone. To where, I don't know; but during the entire month of May, I did research, holed up in the Archives. Apparently, he joined an organization. The members of this organization wear red and black cloaks and dark nail-polish. So, I wear this attire as much as I can in remembrance of him."

The normal-sized figure in the back stared hard at you and motioned for the other figure to leave with him. You exited the stage after some others asked a few frivolous questions to Kiba, you, or both of you.

You sighed as the odd connected feeling became faint and Kiba led you back home as he could see that you were already tired. You quickly showered and climbed into bed next to Kiba and fell asleep almost instantly.

That night you had a silent visitor. It was the normal-sized figure. He took off his straw hat and laid it on the bedside table. He looked down at your sleeping figure, his usually hard eyes softening into fondness as he gazed at you. He brushed his black hair out of his eyes to get a better look at you. He sat down carefully on the edge of the bed, as to not wake you, and gently stroked your cheek. You woke up groggily and looked dubiously at the figure sitting on your bed. You smiled slightly and touched his hand softly.

"Itachi…you're back…"

Your eyes slid closed again and you fell asleep again. Itachi's lips formed your name and whispered it almost soundlessly before picking his hat back up and disappearing.


	4. Reunited

You woke with a start, looking around wildly for Itachi, but he was gone

You woke with a start, looking around wildly for Itachi, but he was gone. So the figures were Itachi and his Akatsuki partner (you assumed). Your life was becoming more and more interesting with each passing moment. It was still dark out, and Kiba was still sleeping soundly. You knew that Kiba cared about you, and you cared about him. But you loved Itachi more than life itself and you had to find him. Screw the Chuunin exams! Sakura could replace you on Kakashi's team, and Chouji could replace her on Asuma's team. You left a note that read as follows:

"_Kiba,_

_I am sorry that I must leave once again, but I need to search for someone. I know who this person is and I know where I might find this person. This person is here in Konoha, but he may leave at anytime. I truly am sorry. I promise I will come back. _

_Please forgive me,_

_Anita"_

You gathered your bearings and you were off to find Itachi. While walking through the park, you saw two figures of the same stature as Itachi and his Akatsuki partner standing beside a bench conversing in undertones. You sprinted towards them, but the freakishly tall one drew his sword rather quickly to prevent you from coming any closer. Before anyone could blink, he had lowered his sword and he lifted you—none too gently—up by the collar about two or so feet in the air.

"Well, well, well. What do we have here? A bird that flew too far from her coop? Little bird, you'll soon learn not to mess with the Akatsuki! Maybe your mangled, bloody corpse will prove to be a warning to others."

You gulped visibly. Was Itachi going to let this maniac kill you? No…he wouldn't…would he??

Itachi sighed exasperatedly and took off his straw hat. "Kisame, cut the dramatics and let her down."

This Kisame guy dropped you—again, none too gently—and you fell down into the dirt path. Itachi offered you his hand to help you up, and you gladly accepted it. You brushed any remaining dirt off of your clothes and regained your haughty composure and glared at Kisame. Itachi smirked at the memory of your slight arrogance. But his smirk quickly morphed into a small fond smile as you threw your arms around his neck. Itachi wrapped his arms around your slim waist and sighed contentedly. Kisame rolled his eyes and made gagging noises before wrenching you two apart.

"Where are your manners Itachi? You must introduce me to this despicable little bird that seems to soften your normally stone cold heart!" Kisame said sweetly.

You blushed and Itachi scowled viciously at Kisame. "This is Anita. I've told you about her."

Kisame took off his hat and lifted an eyebrow. "THIS is the girl with the awesome chakra?! This little shrimp?!"

Itachi rolled his eyes and nodded. "Yes…but she's not a 'shrimp'. You're just freakishly tall."

"At least I'm not freakishly short." Kisame glared pointedly at you.

Itachi glared at Kisame and turned to you. "Don't pay any attention to him. You really have grown up Anita. You're….thirteen now, right?"

"Yeah. And you're…eighteen?"

Itachi smiled slightly. "Yes, we're both teenagers. But _someone_ here is OLD."

Kisame scowled darkly. "I'm only twenty-nine. And you better watch who you call old. I'd sleep with one eye open if I were you."

Itachi smirked. "At least I _can _sleep without Hugsy the penguin…unlike _someone _here."

Kisame purpled. "That's it! Two eyes open! TWO EYES!"

You raised your eyebrows. "Er…okay then. But…why are you here, Itachi? I mean, not that I'm not glad that you are…but…after killing your clan...Isn't that a bit risky? What if you're caught?"

Itachi softened. "Don't worry. I won't be caught. I promise." He smiled reassuringly.

You looked at him, doubt clear in your eyes. Itachi hugged you close to him comfortingly. "How about I take you back to the Akatsuki hideout? You can stay there with the other Akatsuki until Kisame and I come back. Okay?"

You sighed resignedly. "Okay."

Itachi released you from his embrace. He turned to Kisame, who looked rather disgusted at this show of affection.

"Kisame, you stay here and keep an eye on our target. I'm going to take Anita back to the hideout."

"Sure, sure. Anything to get away from your…ugh…_affection_." He said it like it was a dirty curse word. And then he walked away into the shadows, disappearing from your sight.

Itachi turned back to you and motioned for you to come with him. You followed him and chakra sprinted out and away from Konoha. You didn't look back.

On the way you told him about your travels and adventures through the five countries and even made him laugh! And in return he told you of his Akatsuki expeditions, making _you_ laugh.

At about noon, you stopped in a clearing for a meal. What meal could _that_ be? Well…what meal do people tend to have at noon? LUNCH!! Itachi made a kind of sloppy dosai for both of you (he didn't have the pan! God…give him a break) and mixed up some chutney. It was pretty good…considering Itachi wasn't really the greatest cook…

Before you could chakra sprint off again, someone dropped behind you from the trees and stabbed you in the shoulder. You fell to the ground from shock, clutching your wound. The intruder jumped over you and dragged you back up and cut a huge gash across your collarbone.

You screamed and, escaping his clutches, ran across the clearing away from this maniacal psycho killer guy. Blood gushed from your wounds and stained the emerald green grass. But you didn't really notice your blood loss for some reason…

ManiacPsychoKillerGuy brought out a fresh kunai and threw it so that it was aimed betwixt your eyes.

You didn't—no, couldn't—move. Like a deer in the headlights you stood there, waiting for death to befall you. But it didn't. Itachi jumped in front of you, blocking the kunai from hitting you. But it still whizzed through the air …only now…it was aimed at Itachi's neck.

**A/N: Sorry to leave you with this cliffhanger! (Not really...) But review PLEASE!! I need to know that this is good enough to continue or bad enough to stop! (And the next chapter is not about you...it's about Kiba! )**


	5. A Sad Existence

A tortured shriek came from the Inuzuka household. Kiba had found the note. He paced his room, eyes wide with shock as he read the cutting words over and over again. You were gone. He couldn't believe it. Not if he wanted to survive. The words echoed in his head. Who had you gone after? Someone from the past? Itachi? He couldn't bear to think of it. Maybe he had scared you off with his asking you out. Maybe you hated him and had to get away from him to keep your sanity. Maybe—he didn't want to think anymore. It only hurt him more. The alarm on the stereo woke him from his assortment of depressing thoughts.

_**I feel so much better  
Now that you're gone forever  
I tell myself that I don't miss you at all  
I'm not lying, denying that I feel so much better now  
That you're gone forever  
**_

'_Dammit. Why the fuck did I set the alarm to Three Days Grace? I can't take this…'_

As the days went by he became more and more miserable. But he had to hide it. He wasn't good with telling people about his emotions. And he had no desire to show others that he was racked by grief. So arrogance and enthusiasm became the façade to hide the sadness that lay below the hard exterior. And nobody noticed the difference. Everything was normal. Only one person was gone. And the one gone wasn't exactly a homebody to start with. No big deal.

Everyday he hoped that you would return. And everyday he was disappointed by your absence. Eventually, he gave up and dedicated his life to training. A sad existence indeed…


End file.
